CaptainOrange

We just wrapped up our summer road-trip through Northern Saskatchewan, and while it didn't go exactly according to plan, we continue to take lessons from life that I hope will assist us in this whole concept of "graceful aging." Instead of forcing ourselves to suffer through the rain and mosquitoes, Wendy and I leaned into the comfort of a cabin, cut our losses when the weather turned, and still managed to find plenty of rugged wilderness magic along the way. Sandy Lake: Sunset The Very Heart of Luxury: Screened Windows and Cinnamon Buns Our trip started with a rainy drive up to Emma Lake, complete with a stop for cinnamon buns in Hague. When we hit Boundary Bog, the mosquitoes were thicker than I’ve ever seen them. I spent most of the hike wrangling my camera in a rain coat and my body covered with lifesaving mesh—much to Wendy’s entertainment. Master of the 4 Elements: Earth, Air, Water, Mosquitoes Pitcher Plants in Bloom Curious Elk Fox: Wet but undeterred A younger We...

Murray Stairs 2013 I’m reaching out to you from the stairs of the Arts Tower. It’s March 27, 2026, and I’m 54 years old. I’ve just spent the last twenty-two minutes running from the basement to the 11th floor, over and over again. In ’95, I knew the panicked, empty feeling in my lungs, leaden legs, the taste of blood, and a competitive need to prove that I was good enough. For 17 years, I returned to the same place to test myself. I became obsessed with finding the absolute outer boundary of my physical self. After 3 decades, it’s about something else. It’s about endurance. It’s about self-knowledge. It's about 60% slower than it used to be :( I want you to know that I’m still running. I’m running because I want to be able to engage with the child still inside myself. I need to be curious, to struggle, and to persist. I want to inspire you with the idea that the things we choose to do—the rituals that make us who we are—don’t have to be surrendered because we get old or frail. We c...